Wichita eagle., 1887-05-13
aails eagle
VALENTINES DAY.
HOW A BISHOPS NAME CANE TO 81
PERPETUATEO.

The Vulgar Valentine and It's Base u<es
Weapon in Vogue with the Coward.
ly and yiic-Demons of spite-seI,oor
boys Opportunity.
The revenges of time are very peculiar.
There was Bishop Valentine. See what he
was made to suffer for nearly 1000 years
1t was about 1,G26 years ago that he was
foully set upon, arrested, beaten with clubs,
and finally beheaded. Thi, was, to say the
least, very harsh treatment Of an elderly and
respectable prelate. He had aroused local
feeling In some way, Of course, or all this
would not have happened But howl Many
believe to this day that ne was the author of
the practice of sending love messages on
Feb. Il, and that Lis punishment was
not incommansurate With his crime. But
history exOnerates him fro.n 50 serious a
charge. The poor oil man had no cupidal
experiences that any one ever heard Of. His
offense was no worse than befriendin- the
Christian martyrs in the persecution Of
Claudius IL GA Feb Il, go, he was be-
headed
After that event some OF his friends set
about doing him honor Pope Julius built
Mole The heathens," as the Christians
called them, were n the habit of having a
festival on Feb - The bows drew
the names Of girls in honor of their goddess.
Februata Juno. In order to abolish this Gus
tom several Jealous pastors substituted the
names of saints in billets given on this day.
Feb. IA So DR., Valentines name got started
as belonging TO this day, and it was no time
till the world was ready TO give him the
credit of the whole business. There was,
however. no connection between the good
man and the custom of st. Valentines day as
it has been known ever since. 1t is sup
posed to be Of pre-Christian origin.
A DEGENERATE FESTIVAL
In a very modern work the 18th Of Feb
ruary is described as degenerate festival. -
upon which ~jocular anonymous letters are
sent TO persons whom one wishes to Quiz, AMI
these chiefly by the humber people. Maid
servants and young fellows interchange such
epistles with each other, no doubt conceiving
that the joke is amazingly good
This is a very tame description of the de-
generate side Of st. Valentines day In the
vulgar valentine Loves mortal enemy, Hate.
Is rr-'--~-~t7i The other side of the story
L Originally Menus had hand
in it, but the returns became too heavy for
him and he fed the field, leaving it to all ths
little demons Of spite, revenge, envy and jeal-
ousy. The coward who wants to hurt some
body and not be known as striking the blow
finds a weapon all ready to his hand in the
vulgar valentine He sends it aud then sits
down and laughs over the rage Of the re-
ceiver, as he pictures it in his mind. He fan
cies that he has perpetrated the most uproari-
Gus joke. 1t Is a oneIegged joke, and he
owns the leg, but that doesn't discomfort him.
Men Of cruel and low instincts have always
laughed at the wounds they have inflicted
upon others. There are still living persons
who find cause for nirth in pulling chair
from under another person. Ideas of humor
keep pace with the intellect. The fun a boor
expires over would be only gross and unpar-
donable rudeness to q gentleman.
About this time the landlady of the board
ing house gets . very large mail She sees
herself and her table, her daughter her dress
and her tastes caricatured without mercy.
She knows that these printed and painted -
suits euanate most likely from the men and
women who sit at her table, but she is not in
a position TO escort them through the street |
door and tell them never to return She feels |
these knives of malice very keenly, but she |
pockets her wrath aud says nothing.
EDWARDS VANTAGE GROUND.
Unmarried women IN their thirties are
blessed On St. Valentines day with numer-
Gus coarse reminders of their years Pictures
of hideous hags are sent them as gentle hints
that their youthful charms have departed;
or they are represented as linging nooses at
every male creature they see. These polite
offerings emanate from coarse minded rivals,
or snubbed beauX of no particular decency of
thought.
School teachers are apt to get plenty Of
sealed envelopes On ST. Valentines day
Many a small boy nurses his grudge patiently
until the dreadful time comes round, and
then unloads his pent up wrath by means of
yillainOus lampoons, whose depravity he
isn't even large enough to understand.
1t may be that day devoted TO exchanging
insults Is necessity with 4 low order of mind.
Otherwise the ebullitions might be more fire. |
quent. At all events, the day viewed as a
vantage ground for towards to mail lam |
poems TO those they either envy or hate has !
become important enough to establish trade /
in its vile merchandise. Flash news stands |
drive lively business for 4 fortnight before |
St. Valentine comes round. The person who /
stands in need of particularly incisive lam |
poon to send to his enemy can find one ready |
made and coIored to his hand. The authors |
of these fearful documents have left no body /
unprovided for They have the list OF types |
Of men and women made up with complete |
ness that savors of genius. And they have |
brought printed insults down within the /
reach of the humblest and poorest. For five |
cents one can get a valentine Of the most in |
ciSive and offensive description. This is no |
trade that caters to the rich. Anybody with !
a nickel ahead can treat his rival or his |
enemy. or even his benefactor. to a pang OF |
discomfort. Attacks on ones self-respect are |
thus made 50 cheap that anybedy's enemy |
can arm himself with one or more Of them.
GERTRUDE GARRISON.